India: Criminal Tracking Network Ready by 2012

Goal: Interconnect all police stations in India (Times of India)

"With the CCTNS in place, all information will be available online. Information regarding fingerprints, unidentified bodies, missing persons, stolen vehicles, stolen arms, etc, will be just a click away. At present, if we need information about a suspect, we send intimations to our counterparts in other states. This is a time-consuming process," said Dhiware.

He said that the data was being fed into the computers at the stations where the system was being installed. "Police personnel are also being trained in handling the software."

Other CID officials said the CCTNS would create a national databank of crime and criminals and their biometric profiles. This database will have details of the criminal justice system including courts, jails, immigration, passport authorities, forensic labs, transport department, mobile companies, central agencies etc, in a phased manner.